thelinkcollective

Welcome to thelinkcollective.com!

At last, we see the launch of the project we have been working on so very hard – yes, our furoshiki (pronounced fu-rosh-ki).

So what on earth is a furoshiki anyway?! You may well ask (especially if you don’t happen to be Japanese). Well, now you can find out!

‘What is furoshiki?‘ will tell you all about the history and uses of furoshiki.

We have produced two limited edition furoshiki, designed by Hennie Haworth and Lucinda Newton-Dunn. Take a look at our Products page for more information and photos. And make sure you pop back from time to time for updates – we will be posting ideas and sharing photo stories to give our furoshiki friends inspiration!

‘Where to Buy‘ will take you to the Loopto online store, in case you’d like to buy one!

Finally, thank you so much for visiting and showing us your support. We hope you enjoy our project as much as we do!

Soup – Japanese fashion magazine. May 2010

Hennie talks about her design career in London, as well as her recent collaboration with LINK.

Furoshiki (風呂敷, fu-rosh-ki) is a type of traditional Japanese wrapping cloth. It can be used in multiple ways, for bundling or gift-wrapping all sorts of things – from lunch boxes or books, to watermelons and bottles of wine. You could even tie it into a handbag or use it as a scarf, a baby blanket or even a wall hanging. One simple and beautiful piece of cloth and the list is endless. You decide!

Furoshiki literally means ‘bath spread’. Possibly dating back as far as the Nara Period (AD 710 to 794), furoshiki gained their name from the Edo period (1603 to 1868), when people used pieces of cloth for bundling clothes while at the public baths. As time went on, and people had a tendency to move around more for business and pleasure, merchants used furoshiki to help transport, protect and decorate their wares. Furoshiki became an indispensable tool in Japanese life.

Modern furoshiki can be made of a variety of cloth, including silk, chirimen, cotton, rayon, and nylon. They are often decorated with traditional designs or by shibori (a type of Japanese tie-dye technique). There is no one set size for furoshiki, they can range from hand sized to larger than bed-sheets.

There are still many furoshiki users in Japan, but their numbers declined in the post war period, probably due to the introduction and wide-spread use of the plastic shopping bag and other modern and disposable forms of packaging. However, in recent years, as environmental issues have become more recognized, Japan has seen a renewed interest in this multi-functional piece of textile. In 2006 Yuriko Koike, the Japanese Minister of the Environment, started the ‘Mottainai Furoshiki‘ campaign, which urges shoppers to use furoshiki in place of plastic shopping bags.

Lucinda Newton-Dunn
www.space-to-think.com

Lucinda is a British designer specializing in printed textiles and graphic design. After graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1999, Lucinda moved to Tokyo where she lived for seven years and is now based in Los Angeles with her family. Greatly inspired by her time in Japan, Lucinda began to focus her work on Printed Textiles. With a camera always at hand, the majority of Lucinda’s designs are derived from her countless photos and day-to-day observations. These are then transposed into strong and unique graphic patterns and compositions. She works on a freelance basis, while developing her own line of quality hand-made printed textile products and collaborations. Lucinda has been deeply involved in the launch of LINK.

Hennie Haworth
www.henniehaworth.co.uk

Hennie is a freelance illustrator based in London. Having studied illustration at Brighton university she now has a client list which includes Penguin, Guardian, Habitat, Urban Outfitters,Waitrose, and Vodafone. Her mixed media illustrations are hand drawn, decorative and very colourful.

Hannah Waldron
www.hannahwaldron.co.uk

Hannah Waldron’s work often explores the textures, patterns,forms and structures of her surroundings,and has an interest in the development of landscape over time. Hannah graduated from the University of Brighton in 2007, and now works commercially as a designer as well as, in her personal work, exploring the process of weaving.

Her first launch design at LINK : 2012 Summer/Fall

Hand wash your furoshiki in cool water with a gentle detergent and hang dry.

Each of our products has been hand printed in Japan, using traditional printing techniques. We are working with a great printing company called Chiffonez in Tokyo, who specialize in the printing of furoshiki. To make sure we get the best results possible, we keep a close dialogue with the printers, retaining a good balance between our ideas and their invaluable knowledge. They have kindly allowed us to share these photographs of the printing process.

Furoshiki is a very unique yet quintessential Japanese item that has been ingrained into Japanese life. It’s second nature to most Japanese to use a cloth like this in it’s various ways – whereas to many foreigners this is a novel but slightly alien idea. The beauty of the furoshiki is it’s versatility – there are endless ways to use one, all you need is a bit of imagination. Here are a few ideas to inspire you.

Scarf, towel, table cloth, table runner, picnic blanket, baby blanket, a throw, a wall hanging, bandanna … or try one of the following wrapping ideas.

Otsukai Tsutsumi (Book Carry Wrap):

Yotsu Musubi (Four tie Wrap):

Eno Tsutsumi (Long Object Wrap):

Tesage Bukuro (Hand Carry Wrap):

Bin Tsutsumi (Bottle Carry Wrap)

Mini movies!

Also view easy to follow movie clips of how to use here and here.